Page 174 - Crisis in Higher Education

Becoming Student-Centered • 145

2. Plans of study: Being student centered means that students must have
plans of study to identify what courses to take and when to take them
in order to complete their degree on time and without paying for
unneeded courses.
3. Student-centered learning: It is time to circle back and address this
notion, which is designed to cope with the different ways students
acquire knowledge. If learning can be tailored to match the needs of
individual students, they can learn more in less time and use fewer
resources, making education more efficient, thereby reducing costs.
4. Student evaluations of teaching: Being student centered has increased
the incidence of student evaluations and given credence to their use
in assessing faculty for contract renewal, promotion, and tenure. It
seems reasonable and logical for students to have a role in evaluating
faculty teaching, but it must be done so that academic standards are
maintained.

7.1 UNDERSTANDING THE COST IMPACTS
OF BEING STUDENT-CENTERED

Construction on university campuses boomed, as the growth in demand
for higher education combined with efforts to become student centered.
Students who stepped on campuses in the late 1940s, the 1950s, the 1960s,
and even the 1970s would find today’s campuses unrecognizable. Although
it is difficult to know whether spending on facilities and amenities has
gone too far, there are prominent people who believe that it has. Robert
Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor and Professor of Public Policy at the
University of California at Berkeley, claims that universities are spending
on unnecessary programs and campus perks often at the expense of hir-
ing faculty. These facilities and amenities are very expensive, contribute
to escalating costs, and have little to do with educating students. Some
universities are showcasing their value through impressive dining halls,
palatial new buildings, and fancy student unions, which have little to do
with the quality of education. Some administrators defend the practice
2
by claiming that facilities are often funded by major gifts from donors
2
and do not consume tuition dollars or other operating funds. There are
two rebuttals. Each new building must be heated, cleaned, and main-
tained, which adds to operating expenses. Second, it is possible, maybe